1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally directed to garment liners and, more particularly, it is directed to slips, halfslips, camisoles, pant liners, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Certain heretofore known types of garment liners, especially those adapted for use as women's undergarments, do not have the capacity to snugly conform to the wide variations in the shapes and sizes of the users thereof. Traditionally, garment liners, such as slips, are manufactured in standard sizes, which sizes more or less dimensionally encompass one particular feature of a wearer but, however, do not provide a snug fit for the noted wide variations in shape of the wearer. In addition, the bust and sides of the torso, such as the hips, buttocks and thighs of a user, can change, as by expansion even after purchasing a slip. As can be appreciated, these slips manufactured in such standard sizes fail to adequately conform to such changes in the contour of the wearer's body. Consequently, these garment liners do not provide for a slip which has the capability of furnishing an overall type of flattering form-fit which produces a slenderizing effect for the wearer.
Moreover, with respect to garment liners, such as slips and half-slips, there is a tendency for such types of garment liners to ride up on a wearer. This kind of riding action is primarily due to the fact that the slips do not relatively tightly conform to the wearer's body. Inasmuch as such riding action causes the slip material to gather or bunch up, the corresponding accumulation of material can become outwardly visible. Thusly, the otherwise smooth external and aesthetic appearance of an outer garment, such as a dress or skirt, becomes disrupted. Accordingly, it may frequently become an annoyance for women to constantly attend to the elimination of the aforementioned disadvantages associated with the accumulation of material.
Other shortcomings associated with prior art garment liners, such as slips and camisoles, is the fact that they fail to relatively tightly conform to the configurations of the breasts of many women whose breasts tend to displace laterally outwardly. Hence, the slip does not provide a slenderizing form-fit appearance for the wearer. By way of specific example, one prior art approach to remedy this shortcoming is generally described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,701,363, wherein a slip is provided with gusset-like insert panels in the bodice section for supporting a woman's bust. Although this slip is directed to support of the busts, it does not conform to other portions of the wearer's body, thereby providing less than a completely satisfactory slip. Moreover, such slip required added material in the form of gusset panels, therefore necessitating additional costs for fabric and labor.
A further example of another approach made in prior art manufactured slips is described generally in U.S. Pat. No. 2,404,451. While the particular slip therein described employed biased-cut side panels, such slip has to be provided with plaits in the bodice section for purposes of having a form-fit. In addition, this slip does not provide for encompassing and conforming to other portions of the wearer's anatomy, such as the thighs, hips, and buttocks or to conform to the variations in the anatomy of individual women. As can be appreciated, this slip, as with the one previously noted, provides less than a completely satisfactory fit.